When All Else Fails
by Lady Wynters
Summary: New York and the Avengers ( OC) finally start to recover after the Alien Invasion on New York a few months ago. Then Thor shows up on their doorstep … But he's not alone.


_**When all else fails**_

_By Lady Wynters_

Tony let out an unimpressed huff as he watched Steve pile vegetables onto his plate, the soldier paying him no attention as he served his friend the first decent meal he'd had in God knows how long. The millionaire was anything but appreciative of the midnight 'roast diner' Steve had made him, but he had given up protesting and trying to shutdown the power to stop him (to which Steve asked Jarvis politely enough to get him to turn it back on) and took his fork to it. Captain America 1, Iron Man 0. Tony didn't like the scoreboard as it currently sat. But he would surely change the score later. Maybe when the 'Captain' was all snuggled up in bed.

"You don't have to stare at me Spangles. I'm going to eat it." Stark sighed as he shovelled in a mouth of potato.

"I know." Rogers replied, staring at the curtains; which had been closed ever since they were installed. Tony really hated seeing New York in its current state.

"Then scoot." Stark snapped, glaring at the rather orange carrots that he could have sworn were multiplying. Steve needed to eat more than the average person. Tony didn't. And by the plate of food the Captain had given him, Steve had forgotten this minor detail.

"Where's my midnight roast?"

Steve was taken off guard by the feminine voice from the doorway. Neither he nor Tony had heard the elevator ding, and Steve was the only one who used what stairs the tower had to offer.

"Oh, Sorry Jones." Steve replied, rubbing the back of his neck. "Didn't realise you were awake."

"It's barely even one am Rogers." Finally, Eleanora Jones came into the light, her mahogany brown hair falling barely past her shoulders, curling at the back. She offered Steve a warm smile, hinting she was merely joking.

"Hey Nora." Tony greeted softly, stabbing another carrot with his fork. In response Nora arched a questioning eyebrow.

"Don't like carrots? They help you seen in the dark you know." She shrugged, sitting on the bar stool next to him.

"Yes yes, I'm well aware." He growled, chomping away, giving her an almost death glare. Nora grinned at him, while Steve took a step back to start washing up.

"Where's Bruce anyway?" Nora turned away from Tony and leant her arms onto the counter.

"I thought he was with you." Tony replied, finally cutting into his steak. Medium-Rare. Maybe Steve wasn't such a lousy cook after all. "I thought he was in bed." Steve added, slipping a pan into the bubbly hot water in the sink.

"Hm. I haven't seen him since afternoon." Nora bit her lip, her blue eyes dancing around the counter as if searching for a lost pair of keys. Which was a common thing to happen, even in the Avengers tower. Although, if you ever did all you had to do was ask Jarvis. He could usually tell you where they are. Unless you're Tony Stark and you've pissed him off for the tenth time that day.

"He's shy." Tony shrugged, earning a sigh from the Avenger sitting next to him. "Yeah, I know." She replied, running a hand through her hair. In the few years Tony had known and worked (and lived) with Nora, he knew that 'hand-through-the-hair' was a stress/nerves thing and he set his fork down, quirking an eyebrow in her direction. Jones wasn't the youngest of the Avengers, but her appearance had fared better than her companions. Like Captain America she had a "special serum out of a bottle" running through her veins courtesy of her 'self experimenting grandfather'. This serum meant she was able to heal faster because her cells reproduced faster. However, this meant her hair grew a lot faster and a lot longer compared to someone like Natasha. Which would explain why Nora's hair had grown so much in the few months since the Alien Invasion in New York.

"Don't worry about him. He's a grown man." Tony offered, picking his fork up again.

"He's also 'the-other-half' of 'the-other-guy'." Steve's voice was firm as he turned to Tony. Yeah, as if Tony needed reminding of that obvious fact. Tony lowered his loaded fork (which had carrots on it. Again.) and glared at Steve.

"He's still a person goddammit." Tony growled. Steve frowned at Tony and Nora immediately felt the tension and the sense of World War… 562? She mentally shrugged as she hopped of her stool. She'd lost count after Clint blew up Tony's liquor bar after he hacked all his save files on Call of Duty, wiping all his medals and changing the save names to… Well. Nora wasn't sure since Clint blew up his save cards as well but, form the look on his face she knew it was bad. That and because it was Tony.

Nora and Pepper Pots where the only women (and probably the only people) who could stand Tony Stark for so long without trying to hurt him, kill him, or both of the previously mentioned points. It was her friendship with Stark that had actually dragged her into the Avengers. For years she had managed to keep SHIELD of her back. Then Tony Stark made her move in and one thing led to another and they were in Germany 'fighting' a guy in leather, wearing a green cape and a golden ram helmet; claiming to be a God. Oh how Nora loved the good ol' days. Before everything she and Tony knew went out the door. They shared quite a few things in common. They both loved alcohol, sarcasm, teasing the Captain and sometimes Clint as well. And, they were both Atheist and shunned the idea of alien life. So when two Gods showed up, with one trying to take over the Earth with an Alien army, things were bound to never be the same.

It was mandatory really. Everyone knew that even if they won they were going to lose something. Part of themselves, perhaps some day to day privacy, their love life. Something. For Tony it was the inability to think about what happened without having an anxiety attack. For Bruce it meant that whenever he thought about it the other Guy said "hello" by smashing an already damaged New York tower. Clint was constantly thinking about Loki and how he took his mind, and how he killed innocent people because Loki asked him to. Steve had been launched forward half a century, only to be fighting aliens; all his previous friends dead and his present ones bombarding him with jibes and sarcasm. Natasha had to deal with Clint and with how her 'ledger was dripping, gushing red' and that there was nothing she could to fix it. And then there was Nora. Eleanora Jones and her pitch black secret no one knew. All except Bruce Banner; who was currently missing from the tower.

The Avengers often asked each other if they were okay, if they needed help (Steve usually gave Tony help if he could no matter if Tony wanted or thought he needed it). Bruce was good at that, when he wasn't hiding away somewhere, or lying naked in the rubble of a building the Hulk had bear hugged. Despite his nightmares which often led to him bursting outside and tearing off down the street as a giant green rage monster, Nora didn't need to check outside. When the Hulk was loose you knew. You could hear his screams, could hear him bringing down the towers that the builders the next day no longer needed to take a bulldozer to.

So, instead of asking Jarvis where Bruce was, Nora decided to go for a walk around the tower. Sometimes these walks would be limited as Natasha would ask the other to keep their distance from her and Clint's floor. Nora soon learnt from Steve it was because Clint was a screamer when it came to his nightmares. But both Banner and Romanoff where elsewhere. 'Paris', Nora thought as she boarded the elevator. 'No, that was last week. London maybe?' She shook her head softly, having lost track of their holiday world trip which was most certainly not their honeymoon.

When Nora finished her search of the majority of the tower and returned to where she had left Tony and Steve, she was welcomed by a single light and silence. Nora's eyes lingered to her wrist watch '2:43' am and still awake. Taking closer inspection to the light, Nora found Bruce's head bowed over a Sherlock Holmes book, a small snore escaping his lips. Nora gave a soft smile as she carefully approached him, but bit her lip as she wondered what to do with him. It took a long time for sleep to welcome Banner into a peaceful state, but Nora could hardly leave him here; surely? Banner let out a muffled yawn as he stirred, and Nora worried that she had woken him without even trying. But when he looked up he looked genuinely surprised to see her.

"Oh, hello Nora." Banner greeted, sitting up straight, closing his book.

"Hey. You should go to bed, sitting up asleep can't be good for you. Or your back." She noted with a soft smile. Bruce noted the concern and smiled back.

"Mmm, you're right there." He slowly rose to his feet and nodded at her. "See you in the morning, well. Later in the morning I guess."

"Probably won't see me until the afternoon at this rate." Nora laughed, walking alongside Banner towards the elevator.

"Not tired, or?" Nora bowed her head when they were inside the elevator and Banner held his tongue.

"Sorry."

"Nono, it's fine." Nora burst out, earning an arched eyebrow. "Lot on my mind I guess."

"Have you told Tony yet? Or Steve?"

"Tony, who has anxiety problems, and Steve, who still can't remember what year where in? Not to mention how he's replaced me as Tony's babysitter." Bruce laughed with her at that before they fell into a steady silence. With anyone else it might have been awkward. But Bruce and Nora were at peace with one another. Neither feeling the need to talk; which comforted Bruce immensely since he didn't know what to say half the time. The elevator dinged and Banner walked onto his floor, the light setting on dim; courtesy of Jarvis.

"Good night Jones." Bruce said with a nod of his head. "'Night Banner." Nora replied with a cheeky little grin. When the elevator doors closed, Nora whipped out her phone and texted Steve. Eighteen minutes later, Nora was in her room, lying on her bed on top of all the sheets and full dressed. It was after nineteen minutes Steve finally replied with: - Thanks - :


End file.
